VICTORY IN JESUS

Made from candies after the last sermon and alter call

 As Super Lager culminated in celebration and worship, there were forty-two professions of faith! May the LORD be glorified!
 

Making a circle of love as 12 people prayed aloud

Chrysalis shared that she is surrendered to the Lord's work as the "hands and feet" of Jesus. The excitement in her voice was totally worth every global minute...It has been such a blessing to hear what the Lord is doing in and through her and all of the native English speakers, Christian Russian leaders, and, more importantly, the Russian campers! Her heart grows bigger for these people as she has served with diligence and excellence. God has given her supernatural strength and in a myriad of ways, it is evident that she is changing and growing spiritually.

Nastya, who became a believer at age 14
Camp "bestie" who plans to be a leader next year

And, as the camp concluded, she stated that she was literally "dizzy" as they made their way back to Moscow with the IBM missionaries. She has been "roomies" with Kelly on the 7th floor of their apartment since late Friday evening. 

Liza and Chrysalis "reunited" in Moscow

Yesterday, she was up at 5:30 am (and those of you who know Chrysalis understand that this is huge for her as she doesn't "do" early mornings!). She described her reunion with Liza (the 9-year-old we hosted last summer) and the meeting of Liza's mom, Olga, as "the sweetest reunion ever!" Liza and Olga had traveled all night to meet her to spend the day! Check out her facebook to see her status update!

With Russian "brother," Austin

A special visit today withOlga, a missionary
who became her "Russian mother"

With Russian "BIRTHday brother," Tom, 
who has served as a missionary in Moscow for 7 years

It is my delight to fly to New York tomorrow to meet Chrysalis in person. July 28th is a special day since it was the day that her dad and I were married 36 years ago. What a blessing (Chrysalis!) that God gave us after fifteen years of our thirty year marriage!

May the Lord continued to be glorified in all of our thoughts, actions, and HEART!

These two girls, Anna and Polly, underwent major transformations...
They came not knowing Christ and left part of His kingdom forever!

 

Great IS His Faithfulness!!!!!

PINK HAIR AND GREEN TISSUE

As for the pink hair, she was all dressed up for one of the skits.

Chrysalis????

ACTION is ubiquitous at Super Lager! Skits, American “parties,” photography, and reading/speaking English using the “story of Solomon”—fill the 18 hour days! Paramount is the sharing of the gospel; and, for Chrysalis this has meant learning more Russian for which she has an incredible passion. There have been more than 40 commitments to accept and/or follow Jesus Christ during the camp. The gospel continues to be presented and now the one-on-one follow-up at meals, snack, and late night conversations is vital as well as crucial for promulgating TRUTH and KNOWLEDGE and WISDOM!!!     wOw…

With a girl who has the same name as "mom"

In the time that we have to talk, Chrysalis tries to tell us as much as she possibly can in the minutes we have…a constant reminder that “time is precious!” She loves Russia and has made wonderful Christian friends there. She has also been offered a job in a Christian English speaking school teaching music…And, they told her they would “wait” for her to graduate if she was interested in coming to live in Russia. There are plenty of children there waiting to be fostered (which she believes God is calling her to do wherever HE places her)!

Sadleaka for lunch

Nastya, a wonderful Christian friend sealing their friendship with a gift--her cap!

Dressed up for "Solomon's Court" Skit

Playing a role in Solomon’s court delighted her at the “English" party where the native speakers were treated like royalty! Chrysalis describes the Russian leaders as selfless, helpful, and full of gratitude! Her heart for the campers grows as she experiences the love they have for Americans and spending time with them. The children and adults almost grapple to have photos with them, and, as you may imagine, they are very interested in all they have to share and teach in conversation!

Elena, a Russian leader, came to know Jesus 
when she was a nanny for 
a Christian family who prayed for her salvation for 4 years

The Russian leaders KNOW how to give an English party!

Chrysalis shared today that the water is very cloudy and one of the Russian leaders gave her some essential peppermint oil that really helped her stomach issues (grateful for that!). She also mentioned that she was very thankful for a bathroom to use but still is in awe of the green, yes, GREEN toilet tissue (but, glad to have it!).

 

This has been an amazing experience for Chrysalis for which she is immensely grateful. Many thanks to all of you for your support, encouragement, prayers, and continued fellowship in the Lord. You, each and every one of you, have made a difference reminding us that life here is temporary and that we can live with an eternal perspective thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ!

                              Love and hugs… In God’s amazing, eternal “hand-tailored” grace…

                                        Honored and blessed,

                                                  Donna (mom)

Half Begun or Half Finished!

Today marks the fifth full day of Super Lager, and Chrysalis is celebrating that she gets a clean towel today !!  (2 towels for each leader for the 10 day camp).
 

Morning exercise led by native speakers. Kids and adults
dance together for 30 minutes to music!

 

Kelley and Chelsea are native speakers

Early Morning Bible Study before the day begins!

Two very excited campers!

 She was so excited and asked again for "prayer warriors" to pray for those who have accepted Christ or rededicated their lives to Him. Last night 35 hands were raised in response to the sharing of the gospel. Specifically, pray for "V" who is a very young girl who opened up to one of the counselors. Pray that she will make a decision for Christ. Natasha rededicated her life after being part of a cult, and she desires to turn from her disobedience. A couple in attendance (from Muldova) have a son--the father is a believer and attends church, but the mother and son do not believe. "M" is the only Christian in her family so she needs your prayers. A young boy, "Ars" needs our prayers to make a decision for Christ as he has many questions. 

Making the most of the time they have with 19 hour days

Please pray for all of the leaders to have strength and good health to teach, lead and share. Thanking God for this incredible opportunity to serve Him!

Relationship Building

Dancing??? Well, if a camper had belongings in "Lost and Found," she had to dance! This is only one of the myriad of activities to emphasize feeling comfortable and having fun at camp. Most of the campers do not really even know what a Christian camp is; so the emphasis is on loving the campers and building relationships.

Chrysalis is on a rotation team that talked with campers ages 16-18 yesterday (each for 90 seconds in English...well, she said she "cheated" a bit and spoke a little Russian here and there...the girl loves speaking Russian!)...

Level 2 Group

Camper "Kate"

Playing badminton

She had an opportunity to spend over an hour with Christina who is 12 years old. They played badminton and talked, and Chrysalis also spent a great deal of time with Kate.

Today, the leaders and rotation teams began to share parts of their testimonies with the campers, and this evening the gospel was shared with the group. Thank you "prayer warriors" who were praying during the "alter call" and afterwards. May the Lord be glorified!

Off to A Wonderful Start at Super Lager!

Wherever HE Leads I'll Go

Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge [submit to] him, and he will make your paths straight."

Riding to the camp with Liz

The four of us waiting for the campers to arrive

                                         


                                          Here come the campers!

Registration at the camp continued for four hours as the campers took quizzes

Thanking God for safe travel from Moscow and a safe arrival to the camp! There are about 105 campers attending, and as a native English speaking "floater," Chrysalis was assigned to have conversation with each one of them every day! The needs of the campers as well as some of the Russian teachers are too numerous to mention, and there are a myriad of challenges in teaching English to the multi-aged group.

Many of the camp facilitators have had previous experience working at this camp which is very helpful to Chrysalis. The lead teachers are native Russians, and they as well as the Americans tend to sit together in sort of exclusive groups at worship and meals. Chrysalis, however, found an opportunity to sit with a 17-year-old Russian camper during the worship service last night. Chrysalis had breakfast this morning with Oleysa, who had taken a train 21 hours to come to Super Lager (and she was serving the leaders breakfast). Chrysalis also met a family with whom she has chosen to dedicate as much time as possible.



Learning English as a couple

Natasha's 4th time serving at Super Lager

It was "hand-tailored" that Chrysalis would have Jennifer for a roommate. They both love white noise, love to talk themselves to sleep, and like things clean. They are staying in a sort of boarding house and have been given some of the nicest amenities (including a restroom).

Chrysalis and her roommate for the 10-day camp

 

Home away from home

The IMB missionaries shared that the Russian campers hold Americans in high esteem and are somewhat reluctant to approach them. Many of the Russian leaders have great needs. In addition to their many needs, they only have from 1 am to 6 am to sleep every day; and, Chrysalis is so amazed at how wholeheartedly they serve!

Your prayers are requested for the campers [many who are scared to be at the camp]. Pray specifically that relationships will be fostered, and that they will see and find Jesus' love!

SUNday A Day of Worship and Preparation

Psalm 84:11 "For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless."

Translated "grace is not a reason to sin but a reason not to sin"

A wonderful opportunity for Chrysalis to give praise and thanks...a walk, a taxi, two metro rides, a train, and another walk...almost 2 hours of travel to go worship at Primirineye (Reconciliation)...Chrysalis and a few other English speaking natives had an interpreter for Pastor Edvard's (yes, that's spelled correctly) message. She was also given the opportunity to speak personally with him [in Russian] following the service. What a blessing! As you can see from the slide, the message topic was GRACE...

A lovely view walking to the church

Taxi/Van Ride

Several of the missionaries and the native Russian camp leaders met at Jeremy's following the service after they enjoyed a dining experience at the Starlight Diner.

Chrysalis' lunch which she gave to a homeless man who said he was hungry and thirsty

Chrysalis and Lydia (from Ohio)

Please pray for traveling mercies today as many journey from various locations to the camp. The luggage is being taken separately by two of the leaders in a van, and the remaining team will be taking different modes of transportation. They will be arriving around 10 am (our time)! 

Pray that God will continue to prepare the hearts of each leader and that there will be unity. Pray for all of the campers that will be arriving at Camp Lager early tomorrow morning. 

They will be learning English using the story of Solomon. The Lord is simply perfect in His timing in that the topic of the lesson in my Sunday Bible class last week was "Solomon's Arrival at the Truth." Several lessons that can be learned from Solomon's story are encouraging, inspiring, and motivational as we follow and serve our risen LORD:

1. When we seek God with all of our heart, He will be found (I Kings 3:3-7)
2. Those who honor God will be honored by Him (I Samuel 2:30)
3. God will equip us to accomplish the tasks He calls us to if we fully rely on Him (Romans 12: 3-8)
4. The spiritual life is a marathon; not a sprint (I Kings 3, 11)
5. We can wander off the path of righteousness if we violate His revealed Word (Deuteronomy 17:14-17)
6. Those closest to us will affect our spiritual lives                                                              (Exodus 34:16; Corinthians 15:33)
7. Life lived apart from God will be meaningless (Ecclesiastes 1:2) 

Praying that the Holy Scriptures will penetrate...

The camp schedule is very intense. Please pray that all will be healthy and full of energy. Bible study begins at 7 am each day (midnight EDT in case you are awake to pray) for the team, and the individual teams conclude their planning each evening at midnight. Pray that all will rest well as there are many people sharing dorm space and one restroom (but, hey, there is a restroom!)

We love you, and with a song in our hearts...we are "knit together" in prayer...

In His amazing, eternal "hand-tailored" grace,
       Donna   

"The LORD bless you and keep you;
 the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
and the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."

This weekend has given Chrysalis many special opportunities to explore Moscow and learn more about the Russian culture in preparation for working with the students who will attend Super Lager! Yesterday she met new friends, Annyah, Angelina, Julia, and Lena. She had been a bit concerned about what she would eat , but to her delight, she ate chicken skewers, turkey fillet, and zucchini with some sort of topping...she was glad to report that she "tasted" Julia's seasonal pie and Angelina's mandarin cottage cheese which she said was "so good" --a sweet reminder of Psalm 34:8, "Taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the one who takes refuge in him," and a blessed assurance that those who seek the LORD lack no good thing!
 

New Food with A New Friend

Those chicken skewers must have been good!

 

Bonding as they toured Moscow on Friday, Chrysalis was satisfied to know that she would have an opportunity to work with all of the native Russian speaking leaders at the camp. On Saturday, Chrysalis (flying solo from Carol's apartment on the metro) joined with other members of the group with whom she will be working. Timothy, a leader who has worked in the camp for the past four years, is a native Russian from Minnesota (has lived there since he was seven). Also joining them were Tyler, a native speaker leader from Memphis, Tennessee, and three former campers, Sandra, Tasha, and Daniel (who traveled 40 miles to meet with them). It is important to have the support of attendees who are believers; so, this gave them an opportunity to get to know each other and for Chrysalis to continue to practice her Russian! 

Cathedral of Christ the Savior is a famous
Orthodox cathedral in central Moscow

 The Christian Orthodox church has a deep-rooted history as well as an influential presence in Russia. The doctrine teaches that Christ died and descended into Hades and through His divine nature captured the keys of Hades and broke the bonds that had imprisoned human souls.



Today, walking  almost continuously for 10 hours (sitting down to eat for only 2 hours total), her words were "I think I have walked the perimeter of Russia..."

 

Original Kremlin Wall

Red Square

 

Praying together this evening, Chrysalis' request is that she may be used as a mighty witness to tell and show others the love of Jesus Christ and His gift of grace. She has seen much beauty and wonder as she has become more immersed in the Russian culture. She has also become acutely aware of the many needs--both physical and spiritual of many of the Russian people. Please pray that the Lord will prepare the hearts of those who will be attending camp (both leaders and campers) on Monday. Pray for Chrysalis as she worships with the missionaries tomorrow. Petition God for His traveling mercies as the group travels two hours from Moscow and many campers travel up to eight hours to the camp on Monday morning.

 

So grateful for your prayers and for this special time to share what the Lord is doing in and through Chrysalis! It is with thanksgiving that we have the privilege of sharing with friends and family. THANK YOU!

 

 

Humbly...

 

 

In God's amazing, eternal "hand-tailored" grace...

Donna